The new champagne bottle is made from transparent glass and embellished with the Mumm Grand Cordon cuvée's distinctive red sash.

“The big design challenge for Mumm Grand Cordon Stellar was getting the liquid out of the bottle,” says Octave de Gaulle, founder of Spade.

Octave de Gaulle

The design uses the gas from the champagne to expel the liquid into a ring-shaped frame, where it’s concentrated into a droplet shape of bubbles. It can then be passed to someone and released into the air, where it floats until gathered up in a custom designed glass.

"Instead of seeing zero gravity as a problem, we looked at it as a design possibility. With Mumm Grand Cordon Stellar, the entire drinking experience revolves around the fact that when you're in space, drops float around in the air," explains de Gaulle.

Specialising in the design of objects for use in space travel, Spade has been collaborating with Maison Mumm for three years. The new champagne apparently has new taste characteristics to suit those who dare (and can afford) to travel in space. It bubbles exit the bottle, as a ball of foam then turn into a liquid in the mouth.

"It's a very surprising feeling," explains Didier Mariotti, Cellar Master at Maison Mumm. "Because of zero gravity, the liquid instantly coats the entire inside of the mouth, magnifying taste sensations. There's less fizziness and more roundness and generosity, enabling the wine to express itself fully."

The space-age champagne glass design features a tapered stem with a small shallow cup, only five centimetres in diameter. Surface tension makes the floating droplet adhere to the glass, making it easy to catch with your mouth.

The glasses can be clinked together in a toast, in a familiar champagne ritual. For Maison Mumm, this was a key factor in bringing Mumm Grand Cordon Stellar into being.

In the context of space tourism and future expeditions to Mars, Maison Mumm says creating ways to help astronauts feel more human has become a vital priority. It is hoped that Mumm Grand Cordon Stellar will soon be served to participants in zero gravity flights organised by Novespace and future space missions and commercial space flights.

Maison Mumm has plans for a future digital campaign entitled “Find your next victory” for participants to submit more out-of-this-world innovations and challenges, with winning projects funded by Mumm.